Bridie prevails in thriller

Locnamon Bridie, trained by Paul Hennessy for Bill Chawke, came out on top in a thrilling finish to the final of the Christmas Oaks at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night.

The bitch was ideally drawn along the rails and she got herself into contention early with a smart break which saw her turn a close second behind Rockburst Delta. By this stage, however, easy-to-back favourite Borna Gem, drawn wider than ideal out in trap five, had already been buffeted a number of times and was out of contention.

Rockburst Delta raced a couple clear down the back but the strong-staying Locnamon Bridie closed up as they hit the third bend. There was no room for the challenger as she tried to slip through along the inside, but she switched outside off the last bend and her determined effort earned a neck victory over the long-time leader in 28.58.